Oral history interview with Kay Dwyer conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Dwyer discusses moving to Henderson, Nevada in 1942 when her father was hired by Basic Magnesium, Incorporated. She also discusses attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, formerly named Nevada Southern University, and having a career as a high school teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bob Michael conducted by Jeff Van Ee on April 17, 2010 for UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, Bob Michael talks about growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada, memories from his childhood, and details of the changing Nevada landscape. Michael shares his expertise in environmentalism and the history of land protection in the state. He discusses areas of the state he feels should be left untouched by humans, his thoughts on protecting lands as National Recreation Areas (NRAs) including the Spring Mountains, and wilderness acts that have been passed and changed throughout the 1900s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jeff Ju conducted by Jennifer Sui on November 17, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Ju recalls moving to the United States with his family at the age of ten. He discusses his relationships with his parents, how it has changed, and experiencing discrimination and racism at work and as an individual. While he lives in New York, Ju visits Las Vegas, Nevada regularly and shares how he finds it more inclusive and welcoming compared to New York or Korea.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Milton Schwartz conducted by Claytee D. White on May 03, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Schwartz discusses working at the Flamingo Hotel right after World War II, starting Valley Hospital and owning many other businesses. He also talks about having a Hebrew academy named after him in Israel, and owning the Yellow-Checker-Star Cab Company. Other topics Schwartz discusses includes being active in the Republican Party and bringing the first medical helicopters to Nevada with a few partners.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with September Sarno conducted by David Schwartz on October 06, 2007 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarno discusses her early life and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of five. She remembers living at her father’s hotels growing up, the lifestyle she was born into, and the final months before the passing of Jay Sarno. Lastly, Sarno talks about the impact that her father has had in Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Wilma Cooper conducted by Sara G. Finklea on February 27, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cooper discusses her life in Boulder City and Henderson, Nevada from 1936 to 1977.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rosina Goodwin conducted by Bruce Eubank on March 15, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Goodwin first talks about her family background before discussing the Las Vegas Strip, the Stewart Ranch, and Twin Lakes. She also talks about schools, Boulder (Hoover) Dam, the atomic testing, and her work as a telephone operator. The latter part of the interview includes discussion on changes in Las Vegas, the Helldorado Parade, and changes in weather.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Al Lermusiaux conducted by Shirley Dianne Long on March 09, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lermusiaux begins by talking about his move to Las Vegas, his family and what brought him to the city. He shares many anecdotes about the construction of different iconic buildings in Las Vegas, the inner workings of the business, payments to employees and the changes in technology. Lermusiaux, in particular, talks of the telephone system in the fifties and the changes in structures and their regulations. During his interview, Lermusiaux lays out an image of old Las Vegas and Henderson, giving detailed descriptions of the layout of the city, the projects he worked on and the effects of the weather on building structures in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Raya Meron conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Meron discusses her upbringing in Israel, moving to Istanbul with her husband, and immigrating to Canada after their divorce. Meron also talks about her career as a showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada, including being in the Vive les Girls road show in 1965. She then discusses her involvement in helping Cambodian refugees.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Essie Boyd conducted by Claytee D. White on September 16, 2008 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Boyd describes life in Las Vegas, Nevada as an African American during the 1940s. She begins by discussing what the Las Vegas Strip was like at the time and her experiences working at the Flamingo Hotel, the Desert Inn, and the Desert Inn Country Club. Boyd describes the history of the casinos where she worked and the individuals she met through her work, including prominent African American entertainers and influential Las Vegas families such as the Greenspuns.
Archival Collection